Sunday, November 12, 2017

IT WAS LIKE TWO SHIPS PASSING IN THE NIGHT EXCEPT IT WAS DAYTIME

A dull gray and damp November day greeted us this morning but at least we were out of the deep freeze that had had us in it’s firm grip the past few days. With temperatures soaring towards the mid 30’s it was feeling rather balmy so Pheebs and I were out the door and off to Goderich.

CONSTRUCTION ON WENDYS IS COMING RIGHT ALONG AND McDONALDS HAVE THEIR CHRISTMAS CUPS OUT

About the only thing moving down around the harbor area was the departing lake freighter Algolake. It had just slipped away from the Sifto Salt Mine dock and was slowly gaining speed heading into the open waters of Lake Huron. Also noticed on the distant horizon another lake freighter inbound for Goderich’s port.

THE ALGO LAKE LEAVES GODERICH HARBOR

A COUPLE MILES OUT THE ALGOMA OLYMPIC IS INBOUND FOR THE PORT

No biting cold wind this morning so Pheebs and I headed out from the dog walking area southward along a line of low bluffs overlooking the lake. Noticed there were still a lot of ice formations along the shoreline below.

Sauntering along I kept an eye on the two freighters approaching each other. As they drew closer I could first hear the incoming freighter blow two long toots and one short toot from it’s big fog horn. The outgoing freighter answered with what sounded like a couple medium toots. Soon they were abeam of each other and a half a minute later they had safely passed.

I hung around the harbor for a bit and watched as the incoming freighter (Canadian) Algoma Olympic a mile or more out made a hard turn to port. Because somebody told me about this I knew what the Captain was doing. He wasn’t turning away from the port and heading back out, he was turning the freighter around, stopping, then backing the ship the last mile or so into the harbor. Goderich’s inner harbor is simply too small for big ships to be turned around in so those big freighters have to be backed in if they are going to dock at the salt mine. Freighters coming into the Goderich Elevators come in bow first and I don’t know if they back all the way out of the harbor or are able to swing their bows around and head out bow first.

THE ALGOMA LAKE’S CAPTAIN MAKES A U TURN THEN STOPS AND THROWS IT INTO REVERSE AND BACKS HIMSELF INTO THE HARBOR

YOU CAN SEE HIM LEFT OF LOW CENTER

KEEP IN MIND THIS FREIGHER IS GOING BACKWARDS

THESE PHOTOS ARE FROM A DIFFERENT AND HIGHER LOCATION

I WAS SCANNING THE REAR OF THE ALGOMA OLYMPIC TO SEE IF THE CAPTAIN’S WIFE WAS SOMEWERE NEAR THE STERN WAVING HER ARMS FRANTICALLY GIVING HER HUSBAND BACK-UP DIRECTIONS

We were home shortly after 11 and as temperatures slowly rose today how nice it was to hear the sounds of melting snow dripping off our roof. Reminded me of Spring. Even managed a few short periods of pale sun. But very pale and very few.

NOTICE HOW EVERYTHING INCLUDING THE BERRIES ARE COATED IN ICE

THIS WAS THE BERRY BUSH

As I post this tonight it is snowing. I’ve been waiting for the depression hammer to drop but so far I have found I’m not minding it so much and that simply may be because it’s been so long since I’ve experienced this kind of weather. And if the truth be known it’s almost as if I have a bit of a Christmasy feeling going on. What the heck!!

GROANER’S CORNER:(( A man solves the problem of too many visiting relatives. He borrowed money from the rich ones and loaned it to the poor ones. Now none of them come back.

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- I used to eat a lot of natural foods until I learned that most people die of natural causes.

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Two sisters, one blonde and one brunette, inherit the family ranch. Unfortunately, after just a few years, they are in financial trouble. In order to keep the bank from repossessing the ranch, they need to purchase a bull so that they can breed their own stock. The brunette balances their checkbook, then takes their last $600 dollars out west to another ranch where a man has a prize bull for sale. Upon leaving, she tells her sister, "When I get there, if I decide to buy the bull, I’ll contact you to drive out after me and haul it home." The brunette arrives at the man’s ranch, inspects the bull, and decides she does want to buy it. The man tells her that he can sell it for $599, no less. After paying him, she drives to the nearest town to send her sister a telegram to tell her the news. She walks into the telegraph office, and says, "I want to send a telegram to my sister telling her that I’ve bought a bull for our ranch. I need her to hitch the trailer to our pickup truck and drive out here so we can haul it home." The telegraph operator explains that he’ll be glad to help her, then adds, "It’s just 99 cents a word." Well, after paying for the bull, the brunette only has $1 left. She realizes that she’ll only be able to send her sister one word. After thinking for a few minutes, she nods, and says, "I want you to send her the word, ‘comfortable.’" The telegraph operator shakes his head. "How is she ever going to know that you want her to hitch the trailer to your pickup truck and drive out here to haul that bull back to your ranch if you send her the word, ‘comfortable’?" The brunette explains, "My sister’s blonde. She’ll read it very slow."

8 comments:

Love watching those freighters come and go in the harbours there, Could spend all day there if the weather was nice. Awesome icicle pictures, don'y much miss them much though as I know you would rather be here in the southwest , hopefully soon.

What great pics of the passing freighters - how lucky we are to have the time and opportunity to watch things like this. Thanks for sharing. I love all the ice pics, but that branch in the water with the icicles is incredible!! The berries really pop in all that white. Tell Pheebs we like seeing all the big boats!

Enjoyed the ship and ice pics and happy to hear you are feeling Ok even though it is getting cold. I am also this year and feel no need yet to head to warm weather yet. Perhaps skipping a few Winters makes them kinda special again.

Just about the time that readers like me have pigeonholed you as a great bird and dog photographer, you show us that your are also a great icicle and ship-maneuvering photographer. Guess we should just call you a great photographer. 🙂